Pat Robertson and the The Christian Coalition

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Pat Robertson is quite plausibly the best known of the Religious Right, through his abortive 1988 challenge to George Bush for the Republican Presidential nomination, and through his daily appearances on his television program - The 700 Club. Robertson survived his own political demise, and the demise of the original religious right, centered around Falwell's "Moral Majority". He retrenched, brought in Ralph Reed to head the Christian Coalition, which he founded in 1989, pioneered the stealth campaign, and now weilds more raw political power than any other leader of the new religious right.

Pat Robertson has often been the victim of his own intemperate statements, perhaps nowhere so evident as his 1991 book The New World Order, in which he espouses a highly conspiracist point of view, one that would be quite at home in many of the extremist fringes of the far right. By contrast, Ralph Reed, titular head of the Christian Coalition, has appeared considerably more moderate, reaching out to Catholics and mainstream Jews in his efforts to build a broad base of political power. Reed has masterminded the grassroots campaigning tactics, as well as the art of advocating extremism with moderate language, which have gained the Christian Coalition their present power base.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), headed by Jay Sekulow, is Pat Robertson's "answer" to the ACLU, in response to what they perceive as anti-Christian or anti-religious bias exhibited by the ACLU. The ACLJ specializes in religious liberty cases such as school prayer, use of public facilities by sectarian organizations, and religious discrimination in the workplace. The ACLJ has also taken a strongly activist role in the anti-abortion movement. The ACLJ actively opposes equal rights for lesbians and gay men, primarily through punditry, talk show appearances, and amicus curiae briefs.

Published by the Christian Coalition's "wholly-owned subsidiary", The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Concentrates almost exclusively on legal issues affecting the Religious Right in their attempts to legislate their morality through their own brand of judicial activism.